Find Your Perfect
Domain Extension
5 questions. One honest recommendation — including country-specific TLDs when relevant.
Your recommendation
The honest verdict
Typical price
SEO treatment
Used by
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Finding your country's TLD
Every country has its own ccTLD with different registration requirements. The two authoritative sources:
The Complete Domain Extension Guide
Every major TLD with an honest verdict — generic extensions, country codes, and the ones to avoid.
The Original Infrastructure TLDs
Established 1985. The foundational layer of the web.
| TLD | Verdict |
|---|---|
| .com | .com is still the right answer for most businesses. It carries the strongest global trust signal, is the default typing expectation for mainstream users, and costs less than most alternatives. If your exact name is available as a .com, take it. |
| .org | .org carries genuine trust for non-commercial projects. Unrestricted — anyone can register one — but using it commercially signals misleading intent and actively erodes user trust. |
| .net | Acceptable fallback when .com is taken, but losing ground to .io and .co for tech brands. No spam stigma, but no category signal either. Use it if nothing better is available. |
| .info Avoid | .info has carried a heavy spam association since the early 2000s. Email from .info domains is flagged at elevated rates. User trust surveys show measurably lower confidence. The cheap registration price tells you something. Skip it. |
| .biz Avoid | .biz has been spam-associated since its launch. Email deliverability is measurably worse. No credibility benefit over .com or .co. The low price is its only advantage — and that advantage does not outweigh the trust penalty. |
Tech, SaaS & Developer TLDs
The extensions driving the modern software ecosystem.
| TLD | Verdict |
|---|---|
| .io | .io is the de facto TLD for SaaS and developer tools. Google treats it as generic — no geographic penalty despite being the British Indian Ocean Territory ccTLD. Used by Linear, Framer, Vercel, and hundreds of YC-backed startups. The premium price is justified if you're building a real product targeting technical audiences. |
| .dev | Managed by Google Registry. HTTPS is enforced at the registry level — your site must have a valid SSL certificate or it simply won't load. That's a feature. Excellent for developer-facing products, open source projects, and technical portfolios. Surprisingly affordable relative to .io. |
| .ai | .ai (technically Anguilla's ccTLD) is now universally recognised as the domain for AI products. Google treats it as generic. Used by Midjourney, Perplexity, and Character.ai. If your product is genuinely AI-driven and you're targeting an audience that reads tech news, .ai earns its premium. If AI is just a marketing label on your product, .io or .com is more honest. |
| .app | Google-managed with HTTPS enforced by the registry. Strong signal when your product is clearly and primarily an app. Works best for consumer-facing applications rather than SaaS services or developer tools. If you're building a developer tool, .dev or .io fits the audience better. |
| .tech | Expensive and less established than .io or .dev for the same audience. Only worth considering if both .io and .dev are unavailable and you need a tech signal. The price premium over .dev is hard to justify. |
The Best .com Alternatives
When your .com is taken and you refuse to compromise.
| TLD | Verdict |
|---|---|
| .co | The single best fallback when your .com is taken. No spam stigma, globally understood, generic treatment by Google. Colombia's ccTLD but operated globally since 2010. The one real risk: users type .com by muscle memory. If you go with .co, own the .com redirect too if it becomes available. |
| .me | Montenegro's ccTLD, operated globally as generic by Google. yourname.me reads naturally and costs less than most alternatives. One of the few TLDs where the extension itself adds meaning — it tells visitors this is a person, not a corporation. Strong choice for personal brands. |
Commerce & Retail TLDs
For online stores and commercial ventures.
| TLD | Verdict |
|---|---|
| .shop | The most credible ecommerce TLD after .com. No spam associations, explicit meaning, growing adoption among online retailers. A legitimate choice when yourbrand.com is taken and you're building a retail business. |
| .store | Functionally equivalent to .shop. Pick whichever has the exact name you want available. .shop has broader current adoption and is slightly cheaper on average. |
Creative & Media TLDs
For agencies, studios, writers, and creative professionals.
| TLD | Verdict |
|---|---|
| .studio | Strong professional signal for creative businesses. yourname.studio communicates what you do instantly. Growing adoption in the design, architecture, and music production communities. A credible choice if your identity is built around creative output. |
| .design | yourname.design leaves no ambiguity. Strong if your entire identity is built around design services. At $35–$50/year it's expensive, but it's an investment in a clear brand signal. Used by Canva.design. |
| .blog | Completely explicit — yourname.blog is understood by everyone. More expensive than .me for personal use. Better when the blog is the brand rather than the person behind it. |
Generic Extensions — Use With Caution
Cheap, available, and often the wrong choice.
| TLD | Verdict |
|---|---|
| .xyz | Acceptable for experimental projects where trust is irrelevant. Used by Alphabet (abc.xyz). No spam stigma but no trust signal either. Watch renewal prices — promotional first-year rates often jump 5–10x at renewal. |
| .online | Carries no meaningful signal. Promotional pricing frequently jumps dramatically at renewal — always check the renewal rate before registering. There are better choices at every price point. |
| .site | The extension adds nothing — every URL is already a site. No trust signal, no category signal. Skip it. |
Country Code TLDs (ccTLDs)
Geo-targeted by Google. Strong locally, limiting globally.
| TLD | Verdict |
|---|---|
| .co.uk | .co.uk is the dominant commercial TLD for UK businesses and carries strong local trust. Google geo-targets it to the UK — excellent for local SEO, limiting if you ever need to expand globally. The newer .uk (without the .co) is now also available and equally accepted. |
| .uk | The shorter form of .co.uk, launched in 2014. Equally accepted by UK users and search engines. If yourname.co.uk is taken, yourname.uk may be available. Own both if you can. |
| .de | .de is the most-registered ccTLD in the world by volume. Strong trust signal for German-speaking audiences. Google geo-targets to Germany specifically, but .de domains rank well across the DACH region. Registration requires a German postal address (or a local presence proxy service). ⚠ German postal address required (proxy services available) |
| .fr | Strong trust signal for French consumers. Google geo-targets to France. Requires EU/EEA residency or a French SIRET company registration number. Non-EU residents can register through a local presence service. ⚠ EU/EEA resident or French company registration |
| .com.au | .com.au dominates Australian commerce. Requires an Australian Business Number (ABN) or Australian Company Number (ACN) — not available to individuals without a registered business. Google geo-targets to Australia. Strong local trust, limits global reach. ⚠ Australian Business Number (ABN) or company registration |
| .ca | .ca is strongly associated with Canada and carries good local trust. Requires Canadian presence (Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or Canadian-registered business). Google geo-targets to Canada. ⚠ Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or registered Canadian entity |
| .com.br | The dominant commercial TLD for Brazilian businesses. Requires a Brazilian CPF (individual) or CNPJ (company) registration. Google geo-targets to Brazil. Strong local SEO advantage. ⚠ Brazilian CPF or CNPJ registration |
| .es | Strong trust signal for the Spanish market. No residency requirement — anyone can register a .es domain. Google geo-targets to Spain. If you're also targeting Latin America, .com is a better primary choice. |
| .it | Standard choice for Italian businesses. Requires EU/EEA residency or an Italian fiscal code. Google geo-targets to Italy. ⚠ EU/EEA resident or Italian fiscal code |
| .nl | Widely used in the Netherlands with good local trust. No residency requirement — anyone can register. Google geo-targets to the Netherlands. |
| .co.jp | The standard domain for Japanese businesses. Requires a Japanese company registration (not available to individuals). Strict verification process. Strong local trust; Google geo-targets to Japan. ⚠ Japanese registered company |
| .in | Open registration — no Indian residency required. Good local trust signal for the Indian market. Google geo-targets to India. Affordable pricing makes it a low-risk complement to .com. |
| .mx | Standard for Mexican businesses. Requires Mexican RFC (tax identification). Google geo-targets to Mexico. If you're targeting broader Latin America, .com is the stronger primary choice. ⚠ Mexican RFC tax ID |
| .co.za | Standard commercial TLD for South Africa. Open registration — no local presence required. Google geo-targets to South Africa. |
| .com.sa | The standard commercial domain for Saudi businesses. Requires a Saudi commercial registration (CR) number. Registration is managed by the Saudi Communications, Space & Technology Commission (CITC). Google geo-targets to Saudi Arabia. Strong trust signal for the Saudi and wider GCC market. ⚠ Saudi commercial registration (CR) number — managed by CITC (citc.gov.sa) |
| .sa Restricted | More restricted than .com.sa. Typically used by government bodies, large institutions, and established companies. Requires Saudi commercial registration plus additional verification through CITC. Not the first choice for new commercial ventures — use .com.sa instead. ⚠ Saudi commercial registration + CITC verification (citc.gov.sa) |
| .ae | Managed by AEDA (Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority). Requires a UAE trade licence or equivalent company registration. Strong local trust signal for UAE and broader GCC audiences. ⚠ UAE trade licence or company registration — managed by TDRA (tdra.gov.ae) |
| .eu | Good choice if your brand is intentionally pan-European rather than tied to a single country. Requires EU/EEA residency or a registered business in an EU member state. Google does not geo-target .eu to a single country — it treats it broadly as European. ⚠ EU/EEA resident or registered EU business |
Restricted TLDs
You cannot register these without qualifying status.
| TLD | Verdict |
|---|---|
| .edu Restricted | Strongest academic trust signal on the internet. Strictly controlled by EDUCAUSE on behalf of the US government. You cannot register one unless you are an accredited US higher education institution. If you do qualify, it is invaluable. ⚠ Accredited US higher education institution |
| .gov Restricted | Controlled by the US General Services Administration. Only US federal, state, local, and tribal government entities may register. Not available to individuals or businesses. ⚠ US government entity |
Not seeing your country?
There are over 250 country code TLDs. The full authoritative list — including registration requirements for each — is maintained by IANA. Your country's registrar will have specific pricing and eligibility rules.
Common Questions
Is .com still the best domain extension in 2026?
For most businesses targeting a global or mainstream audience, yes. .com carries the strongest trust signal and is the default typing expectation. For SaaS products targeting developers, .io often outperforms .com with that specific audience. For AI startups, .ai has become a genuine category signal. If your .com is available, take it.
Should I use a country code TLD like .co.uk or .com.sa?
Yes, if your business primarily serves a local market. Google geo-targets ccTLDs — a .co.uk domain signals UK relevance, which improves local search rankings. The trade-off: ccTLDs limit your global reach. The best approach: own both your ccTLD for local SEO and .com for global fallback, with one redirecting to the other.
Does domain extension affect SEO?
Generic TLDs (.com, .io, .dev, .me, .ai, etc.) receive no ranking advantage versus each other — Google has confirmed this. Country code TLDs (.uk, .de, .com.sa) are geo-targeted to their country, helping local rankings but potentially limiting global visibility. The extension is not a ranking factor for generic TLDs — content and backlinks matter far more.
Is .ai worth the premium for AI startups?
.ai (technically Anguilla's ccTLD) is now the recognised signal for AI products — used by Midjourney, Perplexity, and Character.ai. If your product is genuinely AI-driven and your audience reads tech news, .ai earns its premium ($60–$100/year). If AI is a feature rather than your core identity, .io or .com is more honest.
What domain should I use for a Saudi business?
.com.sa is the standard commercial TLD for Saudi businesses. It requires a Saudi commercial registration (CR) number and is managed by CITC (citc.gov.sa). Google geo-targets .com.sa to Saudi Arabia, giving strong local SEO advantage. For international reach alongside local, own the .com as well.
Ready to register?
Both Namecheap and Hostinger offer competitive pricing across all major TLDs — including most country codes.